History of Bradford-Poem-Town
In 2013 the Vermont Humanities Council- Vermont Reads book pick was Poetry 180 with Billy Collins. Out of this titles’ discussion, the Bradford Public Library Poetry Circle was born and became a monthly gathering. Then, in 2016 the group discovered Montpelier’s Poem City on a stroll through town during National Poetry Month in April. It was an easy leap from the Poem City events to sponsoring our own local celebration! Through Bradford-Poem-Town we make poetry accessible to the community hoping to inspire new readers and writers of poetry.
The 2018 Bradford-Poem-Town opening event included an integrated art & poetry exhibit by Bradford Elementary School’s third grade students, and concluded with a public reading by Poet Laureate Sydney Lea.
2019, hosted Chard DiNord, Vermont’s Poet Laureate as the guest reader to celebrate the Bradford Poem Town event.
In 2020 and 2021, Bradford’s Poem Town became a virtual event with the creation of our digital collection here on our website.
In 2022 we will be hosting a screening of Nora Jacobson’s film Ruth Stone’s Vast Library of the Female Mind. The film will be shown at the Bradford Academy Building on Wednesday, April 6th, at 7:00 PM. We will also celebrate by hosting poems digitally on our website, and by hanging poems around town.
Each year we invite the community to submit their original poetry by March 15 to be professionally printed and hung in downtown storefronts through the month of April. Participation has grown to more than 100 poems from elementary school aged children, High School students, and adults! This year, 2021, we will once again display poems throughout downtown Bradford and digitally at bradfordvtlibrary.org.
To join the Bradford Poetry Circle or to support Bradford Poem Town call the library at 802-222-4536, or email request@bradfordvtlibrary.org
